Roll film camera



Aug. l, 1939. H. KUPPENBENDER ROLL FILMy CAMERA Filed Feb. 16, 1939 @Sheets-Sheet l Z7 JO Z5 /4 Aug. 1, 1939. H. KUPPENBr-:NDER

ROLL FILM CAMERA Filed Feb. 16, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. l, 1939 ein: Kiippenbende', Dresden,

. Germany or to Zeias- Ikon Aktiengesellschaft, Dresden,

Germany Application February 16, 1933, Serial No. 256,810

In Germany February 3, 1938 The invention relates to improvements in rolllm cameras and particularly is directed to rolliilm cameras provided with a lm rewinding device and an nbuilt range iinder of the mirror b ase type.

vIt is an object of theY invention to operatively connectA the manually operable nlm rewinding member, which is mounted on an outer wall of .the camera casing, by means of a gearing ar w ranged around the glass prism bar forming the mirror base o! the range finder, with the rotatable nlm spool engaging member.

Another object oi the invention is to provide the camera with a recessed lm rewinding k'nob in lo which is mounted a device for coimting the num-V ber of exposures taken with the camera.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent or will be specically pointed out in the following description forming a part of this specification.

Referring to the drawings: i

Figure 1 is a rear elevation view of a rollfllm camera, partly in section on the line I--I of Fig. 2 to illustrate the novel iilm rewinding device, and

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the camera partly in section on the line lI-H of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a top pian view of the camera, partly broken away to show the exposure counter mechanism.

The drawings illustrate by way of example a rolliilm camera employing standard motion plcture film as negative material.- The camera casing I has a relatively narrow top wall 2, at one end of which is mounted a film rewinding knob 3.

3,-, The camera casing I is provided in customary manner at one end with a compartment I for receiving a film supply spool 5 and at the other end with a similar compartment for the film take-up spool (not shown), adapted to be operated by the u knob .2. 4.'

li range finder of the mirror base type is mounted in the upper portion of the camera .casing I,fbelow the top wall 2. In the present case .the range 'iinder serves also as a view finder, in 45 a manner well known in the art.

It will be noted that one end of the glass prism 1 forming the base of the range iinder extends Yso far to the lett hand side of the camera that it comes tolie directly below the iilm rewindtu ing knob 3 on the top wall 2 of the camera casing I. This end of the glass prism- 1 is provided with an inclined end face having thereon a semi-transparent reflecting layer` t to which a prism 3 is cemented. The image appearing on the semias transparent reilecting layer I is observed through a viewing ocular Il in the rear wall II of the camera casing I. The front wall .I2 of the camera casing I is providedl with the customary finder window I3 in axial alinement with the viewing ocular Il. The film winding knob 3 is rotata- 5 bly mounted on a tubular bearing stud I4 attached xedly to'lthetopwall 2 of the casing I. A gear I5 on the lower end-of the knob 3 meshes 'with a gear II on the upper end of a vertical shaft I1 which is fixedly connected with a tubular shaft l0 Il. Ihe lower end of the tubular shaft I8 has attached thereto a gear I3 meshing with a gear V2l on a rotatably mounted stub shaft 2|, whose lower end 22 is non-circular and is adapted to .engage acorrespondingly formed axial aperture 15,

in the film supply spool 5. The gears I5, It, I8,

2| are .arranged in such manner in the. casing I that the telescoping shafts I1,' I8 will be positioned at a distance laterally from. the nearest end of the mirror base 1, 3, 9 and thus do not in- 20 terfere with lthe latter. l While the rewinding knob 3 and the stub-shaft 2l are arranged in axial alinement with each other, this is not absolutely necessary. When the design of the camera should make it more convenient, the stub-shaft 25 2l and knob 3 may also be arranged out of axial alinement or the axes of the knob 3 and the stubshaft may be arranged at an angle to each other, without changing the scope of the invention.

With reference to Fig. l, it will be noted that 30 the upper end of the film rewinding knob 3 is provided with an axial recess 26 in which 'an ,exposure counter 21, 2l is mounted, which is operatively connected with a shaft 3 0 extending through the bore of the tubular bearing stud I4.

The exposure counter consists of a disc shaped member 21 -which is provided with an index. A second disc shaped member 23 is provided with scale divisions and is mounted in coaxial relation to the first named disc shaped member 21 on an 40 axle 3l. This axle 3l is provided at its lower end wit' a toothed wheel 3| which in turn is oper- -atively connected with and is engaged by a s'pring controlled racket 32'. 'I'his racket is xed on a lever 33 which oppositeto the inuence of a spring 45 3l is moved in adirection parallel to the said lever by means of an a utment 35 which is operatively connected with the film winding and shutter tensioning means, this movement of the lever 33 resulting from the rotation of these means. 'Thus the toothed wheel 3| will be rotated for one tooths distance by means of the racket 32 and l hereby the counter disc 23 will be adjusted to the next scale division.

What I claim is:

1. In a'rolllm camera, the combination with a said lm spo'ol engaging stub-shaft, and means drivingly connecting said rewinding member and said stub-shaft and extending around said end of said prism bar.

2. In a rolllm camera, the combination with a camera casing having a top wall, of lm rewinding means and a base range finder, said lm rewinding means including a manually rotatable knob on said top wall, a rotatably mounted stub-shaft within said casing and spaced from said knob, and

e adapted to drivingly engagea film spool inserted in said casing, and means drivingly connecting said knob and said stub-shaft, said range finder including a prism bar arranged within said camera l casing below said top wall and forming a mirror base, one end of said prism bar being positioned within the space between said knob and said stubshaft, said drivingly connecting means extending around said end of said prism bar.

3. In a rollfllm camera, the combination with a camera casing having a top wall, of lm rewinding means and a base range finder, said film rewinding means including a manually rotatable knob on said top wall, a rotatably mounted stubshaft within said casing and spaced from said knob, and adapted to drivingly engage a lm spool inserted in said casing, and means drivingly connecting said knob and said stub-shaft, said range iinder including a prism bar arranged within said 'camera casing below said top wall and forming a mirror base, one end of said prism bar being positioned within the space between said knob and said stub-shaft, Said drivingly connecting means extending around said end of said prism bar and including a shaft mounted parallel to said stubshaft, and gears connecting the ends of said shaft n with said knobv and stub-shaft respectively.

4. In a rollfilm camera, the combination with a camera casing having a top wall, of lm rewinding means and a base range finder, said lm rewinding means including a manually rotatable knob on said top wall, a rotatably mounted stub-shaft within said casing, said stub-shaft being axially spaced from and in axial alinement with said knob, and adapted to drivingly engage a film spool inserted in said casing, and means drivingly connecting said knob and said stub-shaft, said range nder including a prism bar arranged within said camera casing below said top wall and forming a mirror base, one end of said prism bar being positioned within the space between said knob and said stub-shaft, said drivingly connecting means extending around said end of said prism bar.

5. In a rollflm camera, the combination with a camera casing having a top Wall, of lm rewinding means and a base range finder, said iilm rewinding means including a manually rotatable knob on said top wall, a rotatably mounted stub-shaft within said casing, said stub-smart being axially spaced from and in axial alinement with said knob, and adapted to drivingly engage a lm spool inserted in said casing, and means drivingly connecting said knob and said stub-shaft, said range finder including a prism bar arranged within said camera casing below said top wall and forming a mirror base, one end of said prism bar being positioned within the space between said knob and said stub-shaft, said drivingly connecting means extending around said end of said prism bar and including a shaft mounted parallel to said stubshaft, and gears connecting the ends of said shaft with said knob and stub-shaft'respectively.

` 6. In a rolllm camera,'the combination with a camera casing having a top wall, of a film rewinding member on said top wall, an exposure cofunting means mounted coaxially with said film rewinding member, a-rotatably mounted stub-shaft Within said camera casing adapted to drivingly engage a lm spool when the latter is inserted in said casing, said stub-shaft and rewinding member being spaced from each other, a range finder within said camera casing below the top wall thereof, said range finder including a prism bar forming the mirror base thereof, one end of said prism bar being positioned in' the `space between said rewinding member and said film spool engaging stub-shaft, and means drivingly connecting said rewinding member and said stub-shaft and extending around said end of said prism bar.

7. In a rolllm camera, the combination with a camera casing having a top wall, of lm rewinding means and a base range 'finden said film' rewinding means including a manually rotatable knob on said top vwall, a rotatably mounted stub-shaft within said casing and spaced from said knob, and

adapted to drivingly engage a film spool inserted in said casing, and means drivingly connecting said knob and said stub-shaft said range finder including a prism bar arranged within said camera casing below said top wall and forming a mirror base, one end of said prism bar being positioned *within the space between said knob' and said stubshaft,vsaid drivingly connecting means extending around said end of said prism bar, said manually rotatable knob being iprovided with an axial re-v cess, and an exposure counting means being mounted in said recess.

8. In a rolllm camera, the combination with a cameracasing having a top wall, of lm rewinding means and a base range finder, said film rewinding means including a manually rotatable knob on said top wall, a rotatably mounted stubshaft within said casing and spaced from said knob, and adapted to drivingly engage a lxn spool inserted in said casing, and means drivingly connectingrsaid knob and said stub-shaft, said range finder including a prism bar arranged within said camera casing below said top wall and forming a mirror base, one end of said prism bar being positioned within the space between said knob and said stub-shaft, said drivingly connecting means extending around said end of said prism bar and including a shaft mounted parallel to said stubshaft, and gears 'connecting the ends of said shaft with said knob and stub-shaft respectively, said manually rotatable knob being provided with an axial recess, and an Vexposure counting means being mounted in said recess.

HEINZ KPPENBENDER. 

